CLASSIFICATION OF THE PEONY 



Leon D. Batchelor 

 progress of the study 



During the season of 1910 the work of peony classification was con- 

 tinned as outHned in Bulletin 278. Many additional varieties were identi- 

 fied, and a large number of synonyms were established. 



There are still a few prominent varieties missing from this classifica- 

 tion which could not be found in the nurseries visited and which do not 

 occur in the Cornell trial plots. The classification at present, however, 

 contains at least ninety-five per cent of the important commercial 

 varieties. 



The commercial collections, which were started in the fall of 1907, pro- 

 duced an abundance of typical blooms the past season. The entire plot 

 was carefully gone over and each firm's collections checked up as regards 

 identity of varieties, synonyms, etc. 



At the end of the season a report was sent to each donator stating the 

 findings of the committee. 



Studies were also made in the nurseries of several firms in the eastern 

 part of the country. 



It was the intention of the writer and Professor Craig to draw up an 

 identification key to this entire classification. During the rush of the 

 blooming season, however, it was impossible to constiuct such a key and 

 at the same time inspect the vast number of varieties necessary to com- 

 plete the classification and synonym list. It was found impracticable to 

 construct such a key after the blooming season was over by the descrip- 

 tions alone, without the aid of the blooms themselves for comparison. In 

 fact, the peony is so variable under different conditions, that the practi- 

 cability of the identification key may itself be questionable. It should be 

 thoroughly tried out before any key is incorporated in the final report. 



During the entire work the writer has been impressed with the large 

 number of only medium varieties which are being continually originated 

 and propagated by the trade. It is probably a conservative statement to 

 say that the peony interests of the country would be better off if about 

 seventy-five per cent of the varieties were destroyed and future propa- 

 gation made from the remaining twenty-five per cent of superior varie- 

 ties. It is not that these seventy-five per cent of the varieties are posi- 



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